Safe Work Australia has released a series of guidance materials clarifying: PCBUs' duties to monitor the health of workers exposed to hazardous substances; the substances that trigger this obligation; and how to act on medical reports.
Mental health conditions remain a key "disruptor" in Australia's workers' comp schemes, but a low-intensity cognitive behaviour therapy program and early intervention are facilitating recovery, Comcare's CEO has told the National Workers' Compensation Summit.
As with asbestos, manufacturing and installing engineered stone products is likely to prove too hazardous under any system of controls, and should be banned, a NSW MLC says. Meanwhile, Victoria has introduced mandatory safety training for solar workers.
> Director charged under CoR safety laws in national first; > Employer failed to act on OHS advisor's advice; and > Company should have made delivery drivers hand over their keys.
WHS regulators are increasingly turning to infringement notices to tackle safety breaches, while the number of prosecutions has surged in one jurisdiction following a controversial lull, according to one of four new comparison reports from Safe Work Australia. The agency has also outlined PCBUs' duties involving air pollution.
In this much anticipated report, OHS Alert outlines all the major legislative changes and court decisions on workplace health and safety and workers' comp issues in the final quarter of 2019.
An injury sustained by a worker on his way to a car park after a shift occurred in the course of his employment, because his employer induced or encouraged him to access the area, a tribunal has ruled.
Safe Work Australia members have agreed to start transitioning to a new chemical safety system within six months, while SWA has released a practical guide to managing ultraviolet radiation risks and a 60-page workers' comp report, and a WHS regulator has outlined safety duties relating to poor air quality.
A company and its director have been fined a total of $175,000 for dangerous goods offences uncovered by police investigating a burglary. Meanwhile, the ACTU has issued heat and smoke alerts and called for WHS laws that "deal with the reality of climate change".
